US embassy cable - 05WARSAW3734

UNCLAS WARSAW 003734 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PL, Polish Elections 
SUBJECT: MARCINKIEWICZ NAMES POLISH GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: WARSAW 3712 AND PREVIOUS 
 
1.  Summary:  Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz named his new cabinet 
on October 31, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs going to 
career diplomat Stefan Meller and Defense to Radek Sikorski. 
Reaching out to moderates like Zbigniew Religa as Minister of 
Health and Teresa Lubinska at Finance suggests that despite 
the implosion of the anticipated coalition with the Civic 
Platform (PO), the new Prime Minister is seeking to build a 
center-right consensus on his new governing team. The new 
government is now functioning. Marcinkiewicz will present the 
government for a vote of confidence on November 10.  End 
Summary. 
 
2.  Poland's new prime minister, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, 
announced his new government on October 31 with a mix of Law 
and Justice (PiS) officials and moderate technocrats, clearly 
designed to win the support of PO at the expense of more 
radical parties.  The new ministers include the following: 
 
Agriculture -- Krzystof Jurgiel 
Culture -- Kazimeirz Michal Ujazdowski 
Defense -- Radek Sikorski 
Development -- Grazyna Gesicka 
Economy -- Tadeusz Wozniak 
Finance -- Teresa Lubinska 
Foreign Affairs and European Integration -- Stefan Meller 
Infrastructure -- Jerzy Polaczek 
Interior -- Ludwik Dorn (also will serve as Deputy Prime 
Minister); 
Justice -- Zbigniew Ziobro 
Special Services Coordinator -- Zbigniew Wasserman 
Sports -- Tomasz Lipiec 
Treasury -- Andrzej Mikosz 
 
3.  As expected, PiS officials dominate the internal security 
ministries and services.  Marcinkiewicz named experts, some 
with ties to PO, rather than PiS politicians, to the top 
economic jobs which had been offered to PO.  Minister of 
Finance Lubinska, an economics professor at the University of 
Szczecin, was Marcinkiewicz's PhD advisor.  The Ministers of 
Economy, Infrastructure and Development have all worked with 
the Embassy, and are well regarded.  Foreign Minister Meller, 
until today served as Polish Ambassador to Russia, and 
previously served as Polish Ambassador to France.  Initial 
reactions from our contacts at MFA are positive. 
 
4.  Marcinkiewicz now begins functioning as Prime Minister, 
replacing former PM Marek Belka.  He will submit his 
government program to the Sejm for a vote of confidence on 
November 10.  PO has not said what it will do. In a televised 
interview after the swearing in of the government, PO leader 
Donald Tusk criticized PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski for the 
failure of the coalition talks, but left the door open for 
further discussion. 
 
5.  Detailed biographies of the new ministers will be 
forthcoming. 
CURTIN